|
aegis[E´jis] Pronunciation Key, in Greek mythology, weapon of Zeus and Athena. It possessed the power to terrify and disperse the enemy or to protect friends. The aegis was usually described as a garment made of goatskin slung over the shoulder or as a piece of armor. The aegis of Athena was a breastplate covered with goatskin and bordered with snakes, bearing in the center the head of the Gorgon Medusa.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2009, Columbia
University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
|
